Rubio calls Ecuador top US ally in crackdown on drug gangs

Marco Rubio met President Daniel Noboa in Quito to deepen joint action against organised crime. The visit underlined Ecuador's rising role in Washington's hardline regional security strategy.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday described Ecuador as the most "aggressive" partner in the Trump administration's push against drug trafficking and transnational criminal groups in the Western Hemisphere. Rubio made the remarks in Quito during the second leg of a three-nation South America tour focused on expanding security cooperation with conservative leaders close to President Donald Trump.Rubio met Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, whose government has quickly aligned itself with the Trump administration's tougher approach to counternarcotics operations and illegal immigration. During the visit, Rubio announced that Ecuador's Los Tiguerones had been designated a foreign terrorist organisation and said he would ask Congress for USD 45 million to continue funding efforts to dismantle such groups.Speaking to reporters, Rubio said "elite forces" from both countries "are working jointly on a day-to-day basis in a way that has no precedent in order to try to dismantle these terrorist organisations". Los Tiguerones was among 22 criminal gangs designated as "terrorists" by Ecuador in 2024 after the country declared an internal armed conflict during a surge in violence that included gunmen storming a television station during a live broadcast.Under the Trump administration's counternarcotics strategy, the designation could make the group a target for military action. Ecuador has also been assisting the United States as it intercepts and sinks vessels, including one on Tuesday that Washington said had links to the Ecuadorian criminal group Los Choneros. It was the sixth such operation in less than two weeks and the second in as many days. Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Roberto Kury described his country as "a loyal ally, an active ally and a decisive ally to be able to build a safer hemisphere, free hemisphere and prosperous hemisphere". Rubio said he would be asking Congress for USD 45 million to keep funding the effort of "dismantling these terrorist groups", though he did not specify what the money would be used for.Ecuador has struggled to contain drug violence since 2021 as rival cartels have tied up with local gangs and fought for control of routes and coastal ports used to smuggle cocaine. The country lies between Colombia and Peru, the world's biggest cocaine-producing countries. Under Noboa, Ecuador has become a key US partner in regional counterdrug efforts. The recent US interdictions in Latin American waters differ from the Trump administration's strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats that began in September 2025. More recently, people aboard floating refuelling stations said to be supporting drug trafficking have been removed and handed over to Ecuadorian authorities. The apparent shift follows a series of strikes over the year that killed at least 227 people, whom the Trump administration accused of being "narcoterrorists" without providing evidence. The US military carried out at least two of those deadly strikes last month.During Wednesday's events, Rubio was presented with Ecuador's second-highest national honour, the National Order of Merit in the degree of Grand Cross, for his role in improving ties between the two countries. Rubio used the occasion to praise Noboa and his government's commitment to securing the country, while Noboa said America's top diplomat was helping bring peace to the US and the region by travelling between countries to strengthen security and ties.Rubio will next travel to Lima to meet Peru's new President Keiko Fujimori, another leader aligned with Trump's hardline positions on the drug trade and migration. On Tuesday, he met President Abelardo de la Espriella in Barranquilla on Colombia's Caribbean coast, where both men praised a revival in US-Colombia ties, beginning with the security sector, where cooperation had weakened under Colombia's previous leadership. Overall, Rubio's Quito visit centred on closer US-Ecuador coordination against organised crime, new action against Ecuadorian gangs and fresh pledges of security cooperation.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 10, 2026 01:44 IST